A global decadal mode in a high-end climate model and in observations: Any connection to the solar cycle?

<p>The present work addresses two persistent quandaries of the climate sciences: (i) the existence of global oscillatory modes in the coupled ocean–atmosphere system; and (ii) solar effects on this coupled system. Interannual oscillatory modes, atmospheric and oceanic, are present in several large regions of the globe. We examine here interannual-to-decadal variability over the entire globe in the Community Earth System Model (CESM) and in the NCEP-NCAR reanalysis, and apply multichannel singular spectrum analysis (MSSA) to these two datasets.</p><p>In the fully coupled CESM1.1 model, with its resolution of 0.1 × 0.1 degrees in the ocean and 0.25 × 0.25 degrees in the atmosphere, the fields analyzed are surface temperatures, sea level pressures and  the 200-hPa geopotential. The simulation is 100-yr long and the last 66 yr are used in the analysis. The two statistically significant periodicities in this IPCC-class model are 11 and 3.4 yr.</p><p>In the reanalysis, the fields of sea level pressure and of 200-hPa geopotential are analyzed at its resolution of 2.5 × 2.5 degrees over the 68-yr interval 1949–2016. Oscillations with periods of 12 and 3.6 yr are found to be statistically significant in this dataset. The spatio-temporal patterns  of the oscillations in the two datasets are quite similar. The spatial pattern of these  global oscillations over the North Pacific and North Atlantic resemble the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and the interannual variability found in the western North Atlantic, respectively.</p><p>The two global modes, with their 11–12-yr and 3.4–3.6-yr periodicities, are quite robust, suggesting potential contributions of both to predictability at 1–3-yr horizons. On the other hand, the CESM run has no year-to-year changes in the prescribed insolation, excluding any role of the solar cycle in the model’s 11-yr mode. The solar cycle is present, however, in the reanalysis, since it is present in nature and hence it does affect the observations. We speculate, therefore, that regional oscillations — with their distinct near-periodicities and spatial patterns — are synchronized  over the globe, thus yielding both the global oscillatory modes found in CESM. In nature, the decadal mode could be further synchronized with the solar cycle, but that does not seem to be the case, given the slight difference in period — 12 yr for the reanalysis and 11 yr for the solar cycle, which makes them drift in and out of phase.</p><p>The work’s tentative conclusion is, therefore: (i) yes, there are global oscillatory modes in the climate system, especially a decadal mode; but (ii) no, this mode has little or nothing to do with the solar cycle.</p>

Decadal Variability of the Anticyclone in the Western North Pacific

The western North Pacific anomalous anticyclone (WNPAC) significantly affects East Asian climate. Previous studies have elucidated interannual variability of the WNPAC associated with El Niño, but decadal variability of the WNPAC remains unknown. The present paper investigates the dominant modes of decadal variability of the WNPAC by using observational data. The first decadal mode, characterized by an anomalous anticyclone centered over the western North Pacific, is associated with the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO). The relationship between the first mode and the PDO shifted from in phase to out of phase around 1966. From 1900 to 1966 when the PDO and the first mode are in phase, the anticyclone is maintained by the effects of both the strengthened Aleutian low through meridional atmospheric forcing and Indian Ocean warming through enhanced zonal Walker circulation. From 1967 to 2012, the anticyclone is induced by cold SST anomalies over the central equatorial Pacific when the PDO and the first mode are out of phase. The second decadal mode is characterized by an anomalous anticyclone extending from southeastern China to the Philippine Sea and is associated with the Maritime Continent (MC). This anticyclone resides in the sinking branch of the local Hadley circulation, triggered by enhanced convection associated with the MC warming from 1900 to 2012. The finding of the decadal WNPAC in this paper may provide a new way to explain East Asian climate on a decadal time scale.

Impacts of Anomalous Midlatitude Cyclone Activity over East Asia during Summer on the Decadal Mode of East Asian Summer Monsoon and Its Possible Mechanism

By using an objective identification and tracking algorithm of the cyclone, the statistics of midlatitude cyclone activity in East Asia during summer for the period 1979–2013 were analyzed. The impact of the midlatitude summer cyclone anomalies in East Asia on the decadal mode of East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) was investigated and possible mechanisms were proposed. The possible reasons for the anomalous cyclone activity from the perspective of land surface thermal forcing were also explored. Results indicate that the midlatitude summer cyclone activity over East Asia exhibits decadal changes in the period of 1979–2013 and is significantly weakened after early 1990s. Further analysis indicates that there is a close relationship between the midlatitude summer cyclone activity over East Asia and the decadal variation of EASM; when the midlatitude summer cyclone activity over East Asia is strong (weak), EASM tends to be intensified (weakened), and the weak cyclone activity after 1993 generally coincides with the decadal weakening of EASM. Moreover, there is a close linkage between the weakening of cyclonic activity after the early 1990s and the nonuniform surface warming of the Eurasian continent. Significant warming to the west of Mongolia tends to weaken the north–south temperature gradient and the atmospheric baroclinicity to its south and eventually can lead to weakening of the midlatitude cyclone activity over East Asia.

Simulated European stalagmite record and its relation to a quasi-decadal climate mode

A synthetic stalagmite record for the Bunker cave is constructed using a combined climate-stalagmite modeling approach. The power spectrum of the simulated speleothem calcite δ18O record has a pronounced peak at quasi-decadal time scale. Interestingly, mixing processes in the soil and karst above the cave represent a natural low-pass filter of the speleothem climate archive. We identify a quasi-decadal mode characterized by a "tripole pattern" of sea surface temperature affecting stalagmite δ18O values. This pattern, which is well-known in literature as the quasi-decadal mode in the North Atlantic, propagates eastwards and affects western European temperature surrounding the cave. Stalagmite δ18O values at Bunker Cave lag the regional surface temperature (r = 0.4) and soil moisture (r = −0.4) signal by 2–3 yr. Our modelling study suggests that stalagmite records from Bunker Cave are representative for large-scale teleconnections and can be used to obtain information about the North Atlantic and its decadal variability.

Colorado River Basin Hydroclimatic Variability

An analysis of annual hydroclimatic variability in the Upper Colorado River basin (UCRB) for the period of 1906–2006 was performed to understand the dominant modes of multidecadal variability. First, wavelet-based spectral analysis was employed for streamflow at Lees Ferry, Arizona (aggregate location for UCRB flow), which identified two significant modes: a “low frequency” (~64-yr period) mode and a strong “decadal” (~15-yr period) component active only in recent decades. Subsequent investigation of temperature and precipitation data for the UCRB indicated that the low-frequency variability is associated with temperature via modulation of runoff efficiency while the decadal is strongly tied to moisture delivery. Simple hydrology and climate model experiments are also provided to support the aforementioned findings. Correlation of UCRB precipitation with global sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies showed a strong link with the equatorial and northern Pacific during periods of heightened variability of the decadal mode. The correlation of UCRB temperature with global SST anomalies showed strongest values in the Atlantic consistent with the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation mode. Wavelet spectral analysis of paleo-reconstructed streamflow at Lees Ferry shows both the low-frequency and decadal flow variability features. Furthermore, the strength of the decadal mode is modulated at an ~75-yr time scale, and these are consistent with epochal variations of overall streamflow variance.

Tropical Pacific Decadal Variability and the Subtropical–Tropical Cells

The decadal-scale variability in the tropical Pacific has been analyzed herein by means of observations and numerical model simulations. The two leading modes of the sea surface temperature (SST) variability in the central western Pacific are a decadal mode with a period of about 10 yr and the ENSO mode with a dominant period of about 4 yr. The SST anomaly pattern of the decadal mode is ENSO like. The decadal mode, however, explains most variance in the western equatorial Pacific and off the equator. A simulation with an ocean general circulation model (OGCM) forced by reanalysis data is used to explore the origin of the decadal mode. It is found that the variability of the shallow subtropical–tropical overturning cells is an important factor in driving the decadal mode. This is supported by results from a multicentury integration with a coupled ocean–atmosphere general circulation model (CGCM) that realistically simulates tropical Pacific decadal variability. Finally, the sensitivity of the shallow subtropical–tropical overturning cells to greenhouse warming is discussed by analyzing the results of a scenario integration with the same CGCM.